I received a copy of Does She Love You? from BSB in preparation for Rachel joining me and Andy on the next Cocktail Hour podcast. I read a couple chapters last week because I was curious about it but knew I needed to wait to finish it. My memory isn’t what it used to be and I didn’t want to forget how I felt while reading before it was time to record. It was actually a little tough to stop reading but I forced myself.

I picked it up again a couple of days ago, still a little early but I wanted to make sure I had enough time to finish it by Saturday morning – that’s how I justified it, anyway. I was immediately swept up into the story and couldn’t put it down. I suppose this is a good time to share the blurb with you so you know what the hell I’m talking about. Here you go:

Annabelle Taylor has been in her ideal relationship with an adoring partner for thirteen years. Davis Chandler is jaded from years of bad luck with women, but she thinks she’s finally started dating the girl of her dreams. The only problem is they’re both in love with the same woman. Nic McCoy is living a double life that is about to come crashing down on all of them.

All three women are left trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of shocking realizations that leave them second-guessing everything about themselves and each other. As they struggle toward recovery, they each face life-altering questions about trust, redemption, and the possibility of finding love in the wake of betrayal.

Now, I’ll be very honest with you, I’m a big fan of Rachel Spangler as a person but I’ve not been much of a fan of her work. I’ve read two of her books previously and they just didn’t do much for me. But this one, this one was a big winner for me. I felt the characters – I felt like I could know them and see them and feel their pain. For the most part, the writing disappeared and I was left with some genuine people who were going about their lives in my mind’s eye.

The subject of the book felt pretty original to me, too. I don’t claim to be an expert in all things covered in lesbian romance books but I don’t recall reading another story quite like this one. I knew what I hoped would happen but, for quite awhile, I wasn’t sure if that was what would actually happen.

There’s a lot I could say about the subjects covered in the book – there are some very serious themes happening here and I’ve got some strong opinions about some of them – but I don’t want to give anything away. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of growth and self-discovery and the journey of one of the characters doesn’t go quite the way I had initially thought. Also, I hated Nic for a good chunk of the book. Bastard!

I’ve not felt much like writing reviews lately but I wanted to knock the dust off the keyboard to share Does She Love You? with you all. I think this is Rachel’s best book yet. I’m honestly looking forward to whatever she’s got coming next.

You can purchase a copy or download a sample of Does She Love You? by clicking here.